I was wondering if any of your guys could post your opinions on how loud/quiet the new Alum iMacs are. The reason I ask is because I record music, and don't have a seperate control room so I need everything to be SILENT. I have a C2D MBP right now because it is dead silent, but I must admit that the new iMacs are tempting me. Do you think they are quiet enough to record music with in the same room?
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How loud is the Alum. iMac?
- Thread starter brownbird
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The only thing I actually hear is the hard drive. If it wasn't for that, with the screen off I'd think it's off...
For fun I tried once to install smc fan control, to see how hard the fans could go. The answer is: very hard. Much louder than anything else than I've ever heard. Then , I realized that the iMac was unsupported by smc, and I had to shut it off. Since then, I've never heard the fans again...
Disclaimer: I don't use it the hard way, but it's extremly silent even when encoding a movie (you'd think it would get hot and use the fans, but it's not the case)
Like you, I also have a C2D MacBook Pro, and apart from the logically louder hard drive humming, the iMac (20", 2Ghz C2D) is more silent, since in normal use, the fans stay off (or at least quiet).
My advice? Go for it. It's much nicer to use for certain types of work.
For fun I tried once to install smc fan control, to see how hard the fans could go. The answer is: very hard. Much louder than anything else than I've ever heard. Then , I realized that the iMac was unsupported by smc, and I had to shut it off. Since then, I've never heard the fans again...
Disclaimer: I don't use it the hard way, but it's extremly silent even when encoding a movie (you'd think it would get hot and use the fans, but it's not the case)
Like you, I also have a C2D MacBook Pro, and apart from the logically louder hard drive humming, the iMac (20", 2Ghz C2D) is more silent, since in normal use, the fans stay off (or at least quiet).
My advice? Go for it. It's much nicer to use for certain types of work.
I agree 100% but I don't even hear the HD under normal usage. I can hear my Firewire external HD crunching away but not the iMac's internal drive unless I'm really listening for it and get my head close to the side of the machine. If you put your ear against the side then you can hear the hum of the power supply and the very soft whirr of the fans.
You won't find many computers quieter than the aluminum iMacs and it is one of the things I love best about it. When I used to build my own PCs I got accustomed to the feeling of constantly living in a wind tunnel with all the noise.
I don't know why you'd want more opinions! Everybody will agree on this point!
Agreed x2!
I have a 20-inch aluminum iMac that I use in my amateur home recording studio with an MBox and Protools LE.
Quietness was really important to me, as this machine sits less than two feet from my microphone setup.
My iMac is very quiet but not silent. I can definitely hear a gentle high-pitched hum coming from the machine as I'm sitting here typing this.
I've played around with it a bit, and I think the sound comes out the back as it is most noticeable when I have the iMac pushed all the way back to the end of my desk, nearly against wall. But when the computer is pulled away from the wall, the sound is fainter.
All this said, the sound is not a problem. It does not come through when I am recording. Although, what I do is fairly lo-fi--just layered acoustic guitar instrumentals.
Yet, I can say this is the most quiet recording computer I've ever had and I'm very happy with using it for this purpose.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Quietness was really important to me, as this machine sits less than two feet from my microphone setup.
My iMac is very quiet but not silent. I can definitely hear a gentle high-pitched hum coming from the machine as I'm sitting here typing this.
I've played around with it a bit, and I think the sound comes out the back as it is most noticeable when I have the iMac pushed all the way back to the end of my desk, nearly against wall. But when the computer is pulled away from the wall, the sound is fainter.
All this said, the sound is not a problem. It does not come through when I am recording. Although, what I do is fairly lo-fi--just layered acoustic guitar instrumentals.
Yet, I can say this is the most quiet recording computer I've ever had and I'm very happy with using it for this purpose.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
I have a 24" 2,4 Ghz alu imac, bought only for recording and production use, and i must say that in the month since i bougt it i have never been happier. I never hear a sound from it, except from when its burning a CD. Absolutely no noise at all, and so far i have recorded vocals, cellos, violins, acoustic guitars and french horns - all recordings came out clean as a whistle - no noise what so ever. The problem for me is the two external Lacie D2 Quadra FW800 Hard drives, on wich i have the sound librarys on the one, and recordings/projects on the other (That way the computer works faster since the HD don't have to read at to many places at the same time). My advice to you is to buy the iMac - you'll love it - but be very aware of wich external HD you get.
All the best and good luck with your purchase
PS. Parten my English, but i'm Danish
All the best and good luck with your purchase
PS. Parten my English, but i'm Danish
Quiet to the point of being frightening. Unless everything is silent, I can't tell if my computer is on.
Your English is good. Thanks a bunch. Your response was particularly pertinent to my predicament. I have the D2 Quadra and use it with FW800 and although I love the drive, it's too loud to use for recording. I hate the whir I always hear.
Any suggestions for very quiet external HDs?
Thanks!
Nice, thanks a lot! =) I used to have a G5 iMac and I also noticed that the fan was louder (although, from what I hear, those machines were generally louder) when I pushed it against the wall. Thank you. I appreciate your feedback.
i cranked up my fans to the following:
ODD: 700 RPM
HDD: 2400 RPM
CPU: 1900 RPM
and my 24" imac is still really quiet. the very light hum actually helps put me to sleep.
ODD: 700 RPM
HDD: 2400 RPM
CPU: 1900 RPM
and my 24" imac is still really quiet. the very light hum actually helps put me to sleep.
Is there something wrong with my 24" imac? In normal use I can hear the sounds quite prominently, its not quite enough for me to hear the hard drive spin. Its sounds kinda like an air con unit. Mostly coming form the bottom left...
Im not in a situation wear i have to put my ear to the imac to hear anything...
fan speed are:
CPU: 1199rpm
HD: 1199rpm
optical: 698rpm
Anyone else not have a silent one? Or are you guys over exaggerating?
Im not in a situation wear i have to put my ear to the imac to hear anything...
fan speed are:
CPU: 1199rpm
HD: 1199rpm
optical: 698rpm
Anyone else not have a silent one? Or are you guys over exaggerating?
I use a G-Tech G-Drive f/w external. It's pretty quiet to me as it is a fanless design. The quietest? I don't know, but it is quiet. Good luck!
Morod
What you should try is buying a 120"/3m long Firewire cable like this one. The lenght could allow you to place the disks in another room (you can eventually drill a hole in the wall if needed).
When I get a Mac Pro, if it's too noisy, I'll do something like this: tower in one room, screen, tablet and keyboard in another room.
Just as the others... It is dead silent. The only thing I hear is the fans from the external hard discs, so that might be a small problem if you have an array of them hooked up to it (like I do).
When I do sound recording, instead of DI-ing, I just shut them down. So far no problem.
When I do sound recording, instead of DI-ing, I just shut them down. So far no problem.
Seems like they should be almost silent, however, mine wasn't. See this thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/427421/
They replaced one of the fans but it's still buzzing loudly and now the WiFi doesn't work. Apple have agreed to replace it.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/427421/
They replaced one of the fans but it's still buzzing loudly and now the WiFi doesn't work. Apple have agreed to replace it.
No, unfortunatly I dont, wish I did - I would run out an buy them in a second. If you hear about any quiet FW HD, please let me know.
Take care